Liver and biliary system: fruit
is useful in sub acute cases of liver and
spleen.

Blood and haemopoeitic tissue: The
ripe fruit of bitter melon has been shown
to exhibit some remarkable anticancer effects,
especially leukemia. It purifies the blood

Digestive system: leaf juice is
purgative and emetic.

Respiratory system:

Skin: fruit and leaves are used in
leprosy. Bitter melon inhibits the enzyme
guanylate cyclase, that may benefit people
with psoriasis

Reproductive system: leaves act
as a galactogogue

Use Of Bitter Gourd In Reducing
Blood Sugar:

Charantin is more powerful than the drug
tolbutamide, which is sometimes used in the
treatment of diabetes to lower the blood sugar
levels Bitter melon is composed of several
compounds with confirmed anti-diabetic properties.
Charantin, extracted by alcohol, is a hypoglycemic
agent composed of mixed steroids that is more
potent than the drug tolbutamide, which is
often used in the treatment of diabetes. Momordica
also contains an insulin-like polypeptide,
polypeptide-P, which lowers blood sugar levels
when injected subcutaneously into type 1 diabetic
patients. The oral administration of 50-60
ml of the juice has shown good results in
clinical trials.
Excessively high doses of bitter melon juice
can cause abdominal pain and diarrhea. Small
children or anyone with hypoglycemia should
not take bitter melon, since this herb could
theoretically trigger or worsen low blood
sugar, or hypoglycemia. Furthermore, diabetics
taking hypoglycemic drugs (such as chlorpropamide,
glyburide, or phenformin) or insulin should
use bitter melon with caution, as it may potentiate
the effectiveness of the drugs, leading to
severe hypoglycemia.

Improvement in glucose tolerance due
to Momordica charantia (karela).
Leatherdale BA, Panesar RK, Singh G, Atkins
TW, Bailey CJ, Bignell AH.
The effect of karela (Momordica charantia),
a fruit indigenous to South America and Asia,
on glucose and insulin concentrations was
studied in nine non-insulin-dependent diabetics
and six non-diabetic laboratory rats. A water-soluble
extract of the fruits significantly reduced
blood glucose concentrations during a 50 g
oral glucose tolerance test in the diabetics
and after force-feeding in the rats. Fried
karela fruits consumed as a daily supplement
to the diet produced a small but significant
improvement in glucose tolerance. Improvement
in glucose tolerance was not associated with
an increase in serum insulin responses. These
results show that karela improves glucose
tolerance in diabetes. Doctors supervising
Asian diabetics should be aware of the fruit's
hypoglycaemic properties.

Effect of Momordica charantia on the
glucose tolerance in maturity onset diabetes.
Welihinda J, Karunanayake EH, Sheriff MH,
Jayasinghe KS.
Investigations were carried out to evaluate
the effect of Momordica charantia on the glucose
tolerance of maturity onset diabetic patients.
The fruit juice of M. charantia was found
to significantly improve the glucose tolerance
of 73% of the patients investigated while
the other 27% failed to respond.

Anti cancerous effect
of bitter gourd:
A novel phytochemical in bitter melon has clinically
demonstrated the ability to inhibit an enzyme
named guanylate cyclase. This enzyme is thought
to be linked to the pathogenesis and replication
of not only psoriasis, but leukemia and cancer
as well. Other phytochemicals that have been
documented with cytotoxic activity are a group
of ribosome-inactivating proteins named alpha-
and beta-momorcharin, momordin, and cucurbitacin
B. A chemical analog of bitter melon proteins
was developed and named MAP-30 and its inventors
reported that it was able to inhibit prostate
tumor growth. The phytochemical momordin has
clinically demonstrated cytotoxic activity against
Hodgkin's lymphoma in vivo, and several other
in vivo studies have demonstrated the cytostatic
and antitumor activity of the entire plant of
bitter melon. In one study, a water extract
blocked the growth of rat prostate carcinoma;
another study reported that a hot water extract
of the entire plant inhibited the development
of mammary tumors in mice. Numerous in vitro
studies have also demonstrated the anti-cancerous
and anti-leukemic activity of bitter melon against
numerous cell lines including liver cancer,
human leukemia, melanoma and solid sarcomas.

Anti-viral effect of
bitter gourd-esp in HIV Virus

Bitter melon (and several of its isolated
phytochemicals) also has been documented with
in vitro antiviral activity against numerous
viruses including Epstein-Barr, herpes, and
HIV viruses. In an in vivo study, a leaf extract
demonstrated the ability to increase resistance
to viral infections as well as to provide
an immunostimulant effect in humans and animals
(increasing interferon production and natural
killer cell activity). Two proteins known
as alpha- and beta-momorcharin (which are
present in the seeds, fruit, and leaves) have
been reported to inhibit the HIV virus in
vitro. In one study, HIV-infected cells treated
with alpha- and beta-momorcharin showed a
nearly complete loss of viral antigen while
healthy cells were largely unaffected. In
1996 the inventors of the chemical protein
analog MAP-30 filed a U.S. patent, stating
it was "useful for treating tumors and HIV
infections . . . In treating HIV infections,
the protein is administered alone or in conjunction
with conventional AIDS therapies." Another
clinical study showed that MAP-30's antiviral
activity was also relative to the herpes virus
in vitro.

An abstract from an article published
by Eric von Wettberg Biological and sociological
aspects of the use of Momordica Charantia
to treat HIV infection
The use of Momordica Charantia. M. Charantia,
a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, is a
tropical plant currently distributed across
the globe. It is used both as a food item
and as a wide-ranging Materia medical in many
traditional medical systems. Because of its
widespread use and economic importance, the
plant has long been a research focus for scientists
at scientific institutions in countries where
it is found. One of these researchers, T.B.
Ng at the Chinese Medicinal Material Research
Center of the Chinese University of Hong Kong,
found a series of proteins, dubbed the alpha
and beta momorcharins, that have anti-HIV
activity, among other things. More recently,
Sylvia Lee-Huang, a biochemist at the NYU
School of medicine, isolated another protein,
MAP30 (Momordica anti-viral protein of 30
Daltons) that also has anti-HIV activity.
These two discoveries have considerable potential
for the treatment of HIV, possibly providing
new drugs to complement those already used
to treat HIV or cheaper alternatives for those
who can't access the drugs already available
Instead, the only published literature since
then on the anti-HIV properties of constituents
of M. charantia has been done by Sylvia Lee-Huang
at the New York University medical school.
This work has focused on MAP30, a Momordica
Anti-HIV protein of 30 kDa. This protein is
48% homologous to alpha momorcharin, but is
distinct in its properties (Lee-Huang, et.
al. 1995a gene). This work has illuminated
more specific details of how MAP30 acts against
HIV than the equivalent work on alpha momorcharin.
Preliminary work showed that MAP30 can both
block the infection of T lymphocytes and monocytes
by HIV, and inhibit the replication of HIV
in already infected cells in vitro (Lee-Huang,
et. al., 1990). Furthermore, MAP30 appears
to have very limited toxicity to uninfected
cells (Lee-Huang, et. al., 1990). Although
MAP30 has a translational inhibitory power,
it appears to be unable to enter uninfected
cells (Lee-Huang, et. al., 1995a).

MAP30 (Momordica anti-HIV protein of 30 kDa)
and GAP31 (Gelonium anti-HIV protein of 31
kDa) are anti-HIV plant proteins that we have
identified, purified, and cloned from the
medicinal plants Momordica Charantia and Gelonium
multiflorum. These antiviral agents are capable
of inhibiting infection of HIV type 1 (HIV-1)
in T lymphocytes and monocytes as well as
replication of the virus in already-infected
cells. They are not toxic to normal uninfected
cells because they are unable to enter healthy
cells. MAP30 and GAP31 also possess an N-glycosidase
activity on 28S ribosomal RNA and a topological
activity on plasmid and viral DNAs including
HIV-1 long terminal repeats (LTRs). LTRs are
essential sites for integration of viral DNA
into the host genome by viral integrase. We
therefore investigated the effect of MAP30
and GAP31 on HIV-1 integrase. We report that
both of these antiviral agents exhibit dose-dependent
inhibition of HIV-1 integrase. Inhibition
was observed in all of the three specific
reactions catalyzed by the integrase, namely,
3' processing (specific cleavage of the dinucleotide
GT from the viral substrate), strand transfer
(integration), and "disintegration" (the reversal
of strand transfer). Inhibition was studied
by using oligonucleotide substrates with sequences
corresponding to the U3 and U5 regions of
HIV LTR. In the presence of 20 ng of viral
substrate, 50 ng of target substrate, and
4-microM integrase, total inhibition was achieved
at equimolar concentrations of the integrase
and the antiviral proteins, with EC50 values
of about 1 microM. Integration of viral DNA
into the host chromosome is a vital step in
the replicative cycle of retroviruses, including
the AIDS virus. The inhibition of HIV-1 integrase
by MAP30 and GAP31 suggests that impediment
of viral DNA integration may play a key role
in the anti-HIV activity of these plant proteins.

Broad spectrum anti microbial
activity of bitter gourd

In addition to these properties, leaf extracts
of bitter melon have clinically demonstrated
broad spectrum antimicrobial activity. Various
water, ethanol, and methanol extracts of the
leaves have demonstrated in vitro antibacterial
activities against E. coli, Staphylococcus,
Pseudomonas, Salmonella, Streptobacillus and
Streptococcus; an extract of the entire plant
was shown to have antiprotozoal activity against
Entamoeba histolytica. The fruit and fruit
juice has demonstrated the same type of antibacterial
properties and, in another study, a fruit
extract has demonstrated activity against
the stomach ulcer-causing bacteria Helicobacter
pylori.

The activity of plant-derived antiretroviral
proteins MAP30 and GAP31 against herpes simplex
virus in vitro.
Bourinbaiar AS, Lee-Huang S.
Department of Biochemistry, New York University
School of Medicine, New York 10016, USA.

We examined the effect on anti-HIV proteins
MAP30 and GAP31, from Momordica Charantia
and Gelonium multiflorum, on the infection
and replication of Herpes Simplex Viruses
(HSV). Human lung WI-38 fibroblasts cultured
in the presence of tenfold dilutions of MAP30
or GAP31 were exposed to HSV and viral yield
was measured at 24-48 hours by ELISA method.
The effective concentrations for 50% inhibitions
(EC50) were 0.1-0.2 microM for HSV-2, and
0.3-0.5 microM for HSV-1 for MAP30 and GAP31,
respectively. In comparison, the EC (50) for
acyclovir (ACV), a commonly used anti-HSV
drug, was 0.2 and 1.7 microM for HSV-2 and
HSV-1, respectively. The cytotoxicity of all
three antiviral was negligible and comparable.
However, the anti herpetic activity of the
plant proteins against acyclovir-resistant
strains was two to three logs more potent
than ACV. These results suggest that MAP30
and GAP31, previously shown to be active against
HIV, may be useful for the therapy of herpes
virus infections

Herbal preparations have been used since antiquity
to reduce female fertility. Though male anti-fertility
preparations are less common, modern research
has demonstrated antispermatogenic activities
of extracts from at least seven plants. In this
study, various extracts (ether, benzene and
alcohol) of M. charantia seeds were administered
orally and intraperitoneally to male rats for
35 days. All three extracts demonstrated antispermatogenic
activity, with the ethanol extract being the
most potent. Antispermatogenic activity was
assessed using measurements of the weight of
the testes and other measures. These tests showed
indirect evidence of reduced availability of
pituitary gonadotrophs necessary for spermatogenesis.
With intraperitoneal administration, increased
cholesterol and Sudanophilic lipid levels denoted
inhibited steroidogenesis, further evidence
of reduced availability of gonadotrophs.